Nestled in the R Street corridor between The Shady Lady Bar and R15 Bar is a little burger joint called Burgers and Brew. The appeal of Burgers and Brew is the rare beer selection, the high-quality burgers and late night hours, which makes it a popular restaurant for college students.

Derar Zawaydeh, who is also the owner of Crepeville, opened the first restaurant in Davis in November 2007 and opened the second location in Sacramento in 2009.

The restaurant specializes in burgers and has an assortment to choose from, including the lamb burger, buffalo burger and mushroom and onion cheeseburger. The lamb and buffalo burgers are burger specialties I have not heard of until I came to Burgers and Brew, which is interesting because I cannot find these kinds of burgers at most restaurants.

When I walked in during the lunch hour, the atmosphere of Burgers and Brew was welcoming and lively. I decided to get a spicy guacamole cheeseburger because any burger with guacamole is a good treat. I also got a regular order of fries, but for $0.75, it can be upgraded to either curly fries, beer battered onion rings, garlic fries or chili fries.

If a customer has special dietary needs, Burgers and Brew will make anything for the customer to take care of the customer’s dietary needs. I brought gluten-free hamburger buns to the restaurant because I have a gluten allergy and I wanted to see if they would make me a burger with the gluten-free hamburger buns I provided. 

I asked the waiter if the cook would make me a burger with the gluten-free hamburger buns. The waiter happily said the cooks would make my hamburger with the gluten-free hamburger buns I brought in. Burgers and Brew will also let customers build their own burgers with a lettuce bun if the customer does not bring in his or her own bun.

Burgers and Brew also has vegetarian burgers including a garden burger, a smoked tofu burger and a portobello mushroom burger.

The food arrived within 10 minutes and the presentation did not disappoint. I got a big, juicy burger topped with homemade spicy guacamole, jalapeño mayonnaise and pepper jack cheese, a good amount of fries and a pickle on the side. The first bite of the burger was mouthwatering and soft with the great taste of guacamole and melted pepper jack cheese. The jalapeño mayonnaise had a sizzling, spicy taste and made me want to take another bite.

Burgers and Brew makes their burgers with Niman Ranch meat. The quality of the meat was excellent; it was cooked to perfection with not too much seasoning and the hamburger patty was juicy. The fries were tasty and seasoned just enough to make them flavorful, but overall the fries were just average. I have gotten other burgers on the menu before but the spicy guacamole cheeseburger is one of the best burgers at Burgers and Brew.

The layout of the restaurant is pub-style with lots of open space, a large bar, an outdoor patio and the decor around the restaurant is beer posters.

During lunch, customers order at the register and can sit anywhere in the restaurant while at dinner, a hostess seats customers and waiters are taking orders. The staff is friendly and helpful with the customers and the overall service was good.

There are more than 100 different beers available including Pliny the Elder, Arrogant Bastard and the Rapture 2.0, a beer made by Burgers and Brew and Devil’s Canyon Brewing Company.

Pliny the Elder is a double India pale ale with a hoppy flavor and citrusy aroma. It is incredibly smooth for a beer that is hoppy; most hoppy beers are bitter because of the high amount of hops. Arrogant Bastard is an American strong ale with a hoppy bitterness and caramel taste.

Sacramento State alumnus Jason Marcom said he is a big fan of Burgers and Brew and enjoys the wide variety of burgers and beer.

Zawaydeh said the philosophy of Burgers and Brew is to present the best value to be given to a customer, meaning he wants the best quality in food and to give customers a lot of food at a good price.

The prices for burgers range from $7 to $10, which makes it a nice deal for college students, and the prices for a pint of beer start at $8.

The convenient location and accommodating service makes Burgers and Brew a lively and fun place to stop for a burger or a drink at any time of the day.

Brittany Lambert can be reached at [email protected]